Ben X (Nic Balthazar, 2007): Belgium

I was not expecting this to be my favorite film of the festival (Although at the time the festival is only half over, I will be extremely surprised if anything tops this). I read the brief synopsis and knew I would have to see this movie about a kid retreating from his bullied life at school to a role playing game on his computer, but was willing to push this film aside to see others that I ‘had to see’ if the times didn’t work out. In retrospect that is sort of ironic I suppose. Now I would be willing to see this film a second time rather than some of the other films I ‘have to see’.
I was unfortunate enough to see this film at the Lobero theatre. I hate the Lobero. Luckily nobody sat infront of me and I was able to read all the subtitles and see all four corners of the screen once. The dialogue is quite amazing, the leading role by Greg Timmermans is extremely well delivered and is so convincing I’d really have to wonder if Timmermans really has autism, the social disorder questioned in the film. I can’t seem to find any further information about him on IMDB, so maybe.
The story is fairly complex and I don’t want to give away too much. The intro is Ben’s (Greg Timmermans) mom (unknown actress) talking directly to the camera about this event, seeming to be some sort of a travesty that Ben created. She starts telling the story from the beginning and we are faded into the main picture. Ben looks like he goes to a normal public high school, takes the bus to school and brings his brown bag of lunch with him everyday. Nearly everyone at school picks on Ben, not just picks on Ben though, they torment him. As Ben’s classmates are teasing him, we get a glimpse into Ben’s thought process and shown how this real life situation would play out in Ben’s other world, his game Archlord. There are a few twists and at one point a bit of a cliché, but by the end everything turns out perfectly and gets an awesome reaction from the audience. The cinematography is nothing short of extraordinary. The lighting is very well done and always well timed. I really found no flaws with this film.
The film is truly compelling; I stand by my previous statement that this is the best film at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival. I will be shocked if this is not bought and re-released (or remade and destroyed by some American producer) to a larger audience. For the audience award slip handed out before the screening, I gave the film a 5/5. Up to this point I’ve only done a few fours and some lower twos and threes (there were a few other films I got to see that I would give a 5/5 to also however, if I were given the opportunity to cast a vote). If you have the chance, go see this film. You will not be let down.
-Keith